Latest news with #AnthonyGordon
Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Will Liverpool bid for Alexander Isak? And can they afford him anyway?
Of course, Liverpool have an interest in Isak, but the situation is still not straightforward. For a start, Newcastle United's stance throughout last season — and this transfer window — has been that Isak is not for sale. Isak's decision to pull out of Newcastle's tour to the Far East and explore his options in the market has created uncertainty. However, unless there is a shift in the northeast club's position then Liverpool will remain admirers from afar. Some figures at Newcastle were prepared to sell Anthony Gordon to Liverpool last summer but, ultimately, the deal did not proceed when other players, including Elliot Anderson, were sacrificed instead to help the club meet the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Liverpool have faced similar challenges in the past. They refused to buckle when Luis Suárez wanted to move to Arsenal in 2013 on the back of the infamous £40,000,001 bid that had the club's principal owner, John W Henry, wondering what they were 'smoking over there at the Emirates'. Suárez stayed for another year, and the club also eked six months more out of Philippe Coutinho when he first agitated to move to Barcelona in the summer of 2017. When Liverpool contacted Newcastle at the start of last week to check on the availability of Isak, it has been suggested they proposed a deal worth £120million to £130million for the Sweden international. Let's consider Newcastle do buckle in the face of player power and agree to his departure — there is no certainty that the figures mentioned would be enough to then seal a deal. A fee of £150million has been mentioned. Signing Isak would certainly necessitate a British record fee that would outstrip the one Liverpool established when buying Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer for a potential £116million. Liverpool's guaranteed spending so far this summer stands at about £260million, after deals for Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Milos Kerkez, Armin Pecsi and Hugo Ekitike, and there would be a need to raise funds through sales. Bayern Munich remain in contact with Liverpool and are readying a new bid for Luis Díaz, who is, himself, looking to explore his transfer options this summer despite Liverpool stating he is not for sale. A first bid of €67million (£58.5million) was flatly rejected. A new offer in the region of €70million-€75million (about £61million-£65million) is expected to come for the Colombia international, but that would seemingly remain some way below the sort of figure that may tempt Liverpool. Even allowing for Díaz's age (he turns 29 in January), he is a player who scored 17 goals in all competitions last season. In comparison, West Ham United received £55million for the 24-year-old Mohammed Kudus, who scored five. Darwin Núñez is another player who could move on, with clubs in the Saudi Pro League having long tracked the Uruguay forward. Al-Ahli are the latest team to consider bidding for Núñez. In addition, Federico Chiesa did not travel on Liverpool's tour to Hong Kong and Japan as he looks to resolve his future. Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton are others who could leave, so there is the potential for Liverpool to raise significant sums through outgoings to further supplement the £60million retrieved after the departures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher. Under PSR, losses of £105million over three seasons are permitted. Liverpool lost £9million in 2022-23 and £57million in 2023-24, but they would be expecting to make a small profit in their accounts for the financial year ending May 31, 2025. Spending since that date would not fall into the next set of PSR submissions to the Premier League. PSR will be enforced for this coming season but, after that, it is unclear what rules the top flight will have in place. Liverpool's finances are healthy nonetheless. Winning the Premier League title secured prize money of about £180million, the return of Champions League football banked more than £85million and commercial revenue could top £700million. A new kit deal with Adidas, worth at least £60million a season, begins on August 1 and replaces the heavily incentivised arrangement with Nike. Last season was also the first full campaign in which the expanded Anfield Road Stand was operational. One of the key elements of Liverpool's financial robustness is the discipline they have shown in the transfer market in recent seasons. Players they wanted were not available last summer so, unlike other clubs, they did not spend for the sake of spending and ignored the noise that so often envelopes the club. Instead, they stuck to a strategy and, coupled with sales, have been able to attack the market aggressively as they look to build on their title-winning campaign. Furthermore, the accounting practice of amortisation allows clubs to spread the cost of a transfer fee over the length of a player's contract, which helps with PSR compliance. The question suggests a headache, but that is a problem that Arne Slot, the Liverpool head coach, would love to have. Liverpool, for example, view Ekitike as a multifunctional forward who can play as a No9, wide or as a second striker. Wirtz is also flexible, able to play off the left, as a false nine, a No10 or an attacking midfielder. It was, ironically, around the time that Isak scored the winning goal for Newcastle against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final back in March that Slot wondered whether he should have rotated his squad more. He will contend he has more options he can now trust and, with Liverpool's business unlikely to be finished, Slot's hand could conceivably become stronger.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Newcastle braced for new Liverpool approach for key man
Liverpool could revisit their interest in Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon, if Luis Diaz leaves the club this summer. Diaz has been subject of an approach from Bayern Munich and is keen on the move to the Bundesliga champions. The German side are preparing an improved bid for the Colombian. Should an exit materialise, Liverpool have been backed to reignite their interest in Gordon. The Reds explored a deal to sign the Liverpudlian last summer as Newcastle needed sales for their Premier League Profit and Sustainability compliance. Gordon is a player that Liverpool admire and journalist Ben Jacobs has said it is one to watch. A potential move for the England international comes just days after Liverpool saw an approach for Newcastle's Alexander Isak turned down. Speaking to Liverpool streamer Grizz Khan on YouTube, Jacobs said: 'There will be a chance, if the left side is being strengthened, that Liverpool revisit Anthony Gordon. That is another one to keep an eye on. 'Rodrygo, it is not that I'm not getting acknowledgement of appreciation from Liverpool, because I am, it's just the idea that they're in Madrid or negotiating or ready to bid, for now feels a bit premature. With Anthony Gordon it is more than that. '12 months ago they had a deal in place to be done. Had Newcastle not sold Elliott Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton, they would have been in a PSR bind, and Gordon would have definitely got over the line because it was verbally lined up for I think about £75m. 'Suddenly Newcastle were able to pivot because they were reluctant sellers and they found the money another way. 'Given that was only 12 months ago, don't just think about Rodrygo, if Diaz leaves, there may well be a possibility that a revisited approach for Anthony Gordon is made.' Read – See more – Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: | | | |
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barcelona boost? Liverpool have already identified Luis Díaz's potential replacement
The brass at Premier League champions Liverpool are understood to have earmarked a leading target to replace Barcelona transfer target Luis Díaz at the club this summer. This comes amid the understanding that the Reds are becoming increasingly resigned to losing their attacking star over the weeks ahead. Wide-man Díaz is of course a man in-demand at present. Amid respective searches for reinforcements out wide for next season, European heavyweights Barcelona and Bayern Munich have both set their sights firmly on the 28-year-old. To date, Liverpool have stood firm in the face of such interest, adamant that Díaz will be going nowhere this summer. As alluded to above, though, if the latest word regarding the situation to have surfaced over the last 24 hours is anything to go by, then Barcelona and Bayern appear to have been afforded fresh hope of a deal. As per a report from : 'According to TalkSport journalist Alex Crook, who is well aware of the current events at the Anfield club, Liverpool are already moving to have a plan in place if the Colombian ends up leaving. The journalist highlights that the Reds have Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon in mind.' Conor Laird – GSFN
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Transfer news: Newcastle's Ekitike bid, Liverpool eye Isak & Diaz latest
Update: Date: 08:48 BST Title: What Ekitike would bring to Newcastle - the stats Content: Signing Ekitike could give Newcastle a pre-season selection conundrum. The statistics do suggest Isak and Ekitike have a lot of overlap in their play and have the same best position - playing as a lone striker. Isak played 98% of his Premier League minutes last season as a central striker, only briefly featuring on the left of a front three. His central role in Newcastle's attack is surely not to be messed with, given a return of 23 goals in 34 games. However, a similar argument could be made for Ekitike. He scored 15 league goals in 31 starts for Frankfurt last season and played as a striker 95% of the time. Newcastle are also well-stocked in wide areas, with Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and new £55m signing Anthony Elanga. Touch maps for both forwards show they share a tendency to get on the ball in the inside left channel, but with Ekitike roaming more freely and a little deeper. This perhaps offers encouragement to those who believe they can play alongside each other, with Ekitike at times dropping back to link with the midfielders. He is a provider as well as a scorer, ranking in the top 6% among forwards for creating chances in last season's Bundesliga. Update: Date: 08:38 BST Title: 'The message is still that Isak's not for sale' Content: Matthew RaisbeckBBC Newcastle Sport It's not a given that Ekitike will play second fiddle to Isak - in fact there is a hope that they could play together. Newcastle like versatility. They tried to sign Chelsea's Joao Pedro this summer, who is another versatile striker. I don't expect them to switch formation for the first game of the season, but this move would allow a greater scope to change tactics throughout the game. The message is still that Isak is not for sale. Newcastle are determined to keep him and don't need to sell for financial reasons. They are in the Champions League next season and want to be competitive in the league and all the cups so, even before Callum Wilson left, they were always going to need another striker. Ekitike has the profile they want and allows the team to be so much more flexible tactically. Newcastle have quality but often at times last season lacked depth. This signing would tick both of those boxes. Update: Date: 08:28 BST Title: The battle for Ekitike and Isak - what we know so far Content: Update: Date: 08:26 BST Title: Post Content: Ben RamsdaleBBC Sport Straight into the main course for this morning then. There was a small news story doing the rounds yesterday surrounding Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Shall we have a little recap? Update: Date: 08:13 BST Title: Premier League signings made during summer window Content: We had four transfers completed yesterday in the Premier League to add to the ever-growing list. Will we get any more today? Arsenal Aston Villa Bournemouth Brentford Brighton Burnley Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Leeds Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle Nottingham Forest Sunderland Tottenham West Ham Wolves Update: Date: 08:01 BST Title: Good morning Content: Hello, happy Wednesday! Halfway through another week so thanks for joining us as we try and help you over the hump towards the weekend. Plenty of transfer talk to get into throughout today and hopefully a couple of Get Involved topics we can throw out there to have a bit of fun. Let's get right into it, eh?
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Howe tinker with Isak role?
Newcastle's interest in Hugo Ekitike dates back to at least January 2022, when he rejected a move from Reims. Newcastle tried again that summer but eventually bought Alexander Isak - and the question now is what bringing in Ekitike would mean for the Magpies' current club record signing. Advertisement While sceptics might view Ekitike as a replacement for the much-coveted Isak, it is believed Newcastle plan to play them together - as well as switch between the two as they navigate a crowded fixture list following their return to the Champions League. Isak played 98% of his Premier League minutes last season as a striker, otherwise featuring on the left of a front three. His central role in Newcastle's attack is surely not to be messed with, given a return of 23 goals in 34 games. However, a similar argument could be made for Ekitike. He scored 15 league goals in 31 starts for Eintracht Frankfurt last season and played as a striker 95% of the time, with just 3% spent on the left wing. Besides, Newcastle are well-stocked in wide areas with Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and new £55m signing Anthony Elanga. Advertisement Touch maps for both forwards reveal they share a tendency to get on the ball in the inside left channel, but with Ekitike roaming more freely and a little deeper. This perhaps offers encouragement for believing they can play alongside each other, with Ekitite at times dropping back to link with the midfielders. He is a provider as well as a scorer, ranking in the top 6% among forwards for creating chances in last season's Bundesliga. Ekitike also successfully forged a strike partnership with Omar Marmoush before the Egyptian was sold to Manchester City in January. Isak, as a more orthodox number nine, performs a different role to Marmoush but possesses a similar game intelligence. In other words, he would adapt – but what about the rest of the Newcastle side? Their midfield three is considered one of the best in the Premier League but the team structure would need to change if Ekitike and Isak were to be paired in attack.
